SPM cantilever and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

An SPM cantilever of the present invention including: a support portion ( 1 ) fabricated by processing a single crystal silicon wafer; a lever portion ( 2 ) formed in a manner extended from the support portion; a probe ( 3 ) disposed at a free end side of the lever portion; a coating of graphite film ( 5 ) covering all over the side on which the probe is formed and the entire probe; and a piece of thin line ( 6 ) consisting of a carbon nanofiber (CNF) or carbon nanotube (CNT) or graphite nanofiber (GNF) grown/formed from the graphite film at a probe terminal end portion ( 3 a ).

1. An SPM cantilever comprising:
 a support portion; 
 a lever portion extended from the support portion; and 
 a projection-like probe formed in the vicinity of a free end or on a terminal end of the free end of the lever portion; 
 said SPM cantilever having a coating film made of carbon or semiconductor or metal or a chemical compound of these formed over at least the entire surface of said projection-like probe; 
 wherein a terminal end portion of said probe is provided with a piece of thin line integrally formed with the coating film over the probe surface without an adhesive as continuously extended from the probe terminal end portion, and said thin line is directly grown and formed from said coating film itself and is made of the same material as said coating film. 
 
     
     
       2. The SPM cantilever according to  claim 1 , wherein said thin line comprises one selected from a carbon nanofiber (CNF) or carbon nanotube (CNT) or graphite nanofiber (GNF). 
     
     
       3. The SPM cantilever according to  claim 1 , wherein said thin line comprises a semiconductor nanowire (SNW) or semiconductor nanotube (SNT). 
     
     
       4. The SPM cantilever according to  claim 1 , wherein said thin line comprises a metal nanowire (MNW) or metal nanotube (MNT). 
     
     
       5. The SPM cantilever according to  claim 1 , wherein said projection-like probe has a tetrahedral shape. 
     
     
       6. The SPM cantilever according to  claim 1 , wherein said projection-like probe has a pyramidal shape. 
     
     
       7. The SPM cantilever according to  claim 1 , wherein said projection-like probe has a polygonal pyramidal shape. 
     
     
       8. The SPM cantilever according to  claim 1 , wherein the projection-like probe has a conical shape. 
     
     
       9. An SPM cantilever comprising:
 a support portion; 
 a lever portion extended from the support portion; and 
 a projection-like probe formed in the vicinity of a free end or on a terminal end of the free end of the lever portion; 
 at least said probe being made of semiconductor; 
 wherein a terminal end portion of said probe is provided with a piece of thin line integrally formed with the probe terminal end portion without an adhesive as continuously extended from the probe terminal end portion, and 
 wherein said thin line is directly formed from said projection-like probe itself and is a semiconductor nanowire (SNW) or a semiconductor nanotube (SNT) made of the same material as said probe.